Abstract. A differential absorption lidar (DIAL) for measurement of atmospheric ozone
concentration was operated aboard the Polar 5 research aircraft in order to
study the depletion of ozone over Arctic sea ice. The lidar measurements
during a flight over the sea ice north of Barrow, Alaska, on 3 April 2011
found a surface boundary layer depletion of ozone over a range of 300 km. The
photochemical destruction of surface level ozone was strongest at the most
northern point of the flight, and steadily decreased towards land. All the
observed ozone-depleted air throughout the flight occurred within 300 m of
the sea ice surface. A back-trajectory analysis of the air measured
throughout the flight indicated that the ozone-depleted air originated from
over the ice. Air at the surface that was not depleted in ozone had
originated from over land. An investigation into the altitude history of the
ozone-depleted air suggests a strong inverse correlation between measured
ozone concentration and the amount of time the air directly interacted with
the sea ice.